Special Report! Why Doesn’t Hollywood Cast More Gay Actors in Leading Roles?

There is no homophobia in Hollywood – and there’s barely any left in America at large either. Most Americans, just like most of Hollywood, would willingly embrace an out gay actor in even a heterosexual leading romantic role – providing he was right for the part, of course.

At least this is what plenty of Hollywood insiders told AfterElton.com in our in-depth exploration of why more leading television and movie roles, gay or straight, aren't played by out gay actors.

"You’re going to evaluate the strengths and the ability of an actor based on his or her talent alone,” says Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment. “If that actor, regardless of their sexual orientation, if they’re right for the part, they’ll be cast in the role. Any decision we make based on any actor in any role, it all comes down to talent alone.”

But if it’s solely about “talent,” why do so few out actors end up in leading roles? And why have none ever been cast as the heterosexual romantic lead on an American TV show or in a Hollywood movie? After all, anyone who’s ever spent time in Hollywood (or any theater program) knows that gay and bisexual men are almost certainly over-represented in the ranks of actors in general.

Yet that isn’t the case when it comes to actors on television. Yes, the situation is better than it was ten years ago as there are now more out actors including Neil Patrick Harris, Luke Macfarlane, Chris Colfer, Alan Cumming, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all of whom have starring roles in broadcast network shows – and Harris and Cumming even play heterosexual characters.

But they’re all also “supporting” actors in ensemble casts and none are the kind of romantic leads that are a staple of dramatic television. Think Patrick Dempsey on Grey’s Anatomy, Matthew Fox on Lost or Taye Diggs on Private Practice.

One of TV’s very few actual out leads is Torchwood’s John Barrowman (who plays bisexual on the show), but not surprisingly, that’s a UK program (coming soon to U.S. television in a joint venture with Starz, the premium cable channel).

A smattering of other out actors, including Michael Urie, Guillermo Diaz, Jonathan Slavin, Scott Evans, Nick Rodriguez, Adamo Ruggiero, and several of the cast members of Noah’s Arc, starred on cable shows or programs that have recently been cancelled.

Meanwhile, John Benjamin Hickey currently co-stars (also as a straight character) on Showtime’s The Big C, while Denis O’Hare is on HBO’s True Blood, and B.D. Wong shows up briefly in most every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

However, the number of straight actors (or actors who aren’t out) playing gay TV roles over the past eighteen months numbers nearly 30 on a dozen and a half different shows including Trevor Donovan on 90210, Eric Stonestreet on Modern Family and Matthew Rhys on Brothers & Sisters.

Taking a longer historical view, the numbers are at least as skewed in favor of straight actors. In AfterElton.com’s most recent list of the top gay and bisexual characters on television (voted on by readers), fifteen of the top fifty choices were played by out gay men, including Colfer on Glee, Macfarlane on Brothers & Sisters, and Tyler Ferguson on Modern Family. But even here, in a list where gay voters are probably drawn to out gay actors, straight men dominate.

Meanwhile, in the movies, the ranks of out actors who have played leading roles in major productions may be even sparser: Neil Patrick Harris, Ian McKellen, Rupert Everett, Alan Cumming, and Nathan Lane are probably the most well-known names, but none are considered “bankable,” meaning they are considered by Hollywood studios as likely to draw a mass movie-going audience. And no out gay man has ever played the heterosexual romantic leading role in a major Hollywood film.

What explains the paucity? Some industry executives and talent we spoke to acknowledged that there is homophobia, both in Hollywood and in American audiences. But that’s not the whole picture.

In fact, the status quo exists, as most status quos do, because everyone – from Hollywood executives to the casting directors to viewing audiences – is part of the problem, even if they aren’t even aware that they are playing a part.

And it must be said, a portion of the blame also rests with gay actors themselves – both closeted and out.

In short, it’s really, really complicated.

Next Page! Is Jane Lynch telling it like it is?